Tarkanian Classic: Best Passers

<p>LAS VEGAS — We made the trip out to Las Vegas for the last two days of the Tarkanian Classic and took in Platinum and Nike Division action at The Orleans Arena and Bishop Gorman high school. Below are the best passers we watched.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956470' first='Chace' last='Holley'] | Redondo Union</h4>   <p>Holley remains one of the top unsigned seniors out west and that's due in large part to his ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-1 point guard is best known for his aggressive downhill attacking in transition and out of ball screen action but it was his playmaking that helped Redondo reach the Platinum Division championship. Holley used his defense to create transition opportunities where he found teammates for open jumpers and slashing layups. Holley finished with six assists in the semifinal win.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2307230' first='Cisco' last='Munoz'] | La Mirada</h4>   <p>Munoz has proven to be the missing piece La Mirada needed to remain one of the top public schools in the state. Prior to his arrival via transfer from Vista Murrieta, the Matadores were absent a guy with a pass-first playmaking approach and the 6-footer had his pace, vision and timing dialed in to help lead La Mirada to Nike Division championship game. Munoz handed out six assists and made smart play after smart play throughout the game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1724368' first='Karter' last='Miller'] | Layton (UT)</h4>   <p>We mentioned Miller in our Nike Division semifinal breakdown and his eight assist effort earned him a spot on our best passers list from all of the games we watched. Miller has every pass in his arsenal and his ability to quickly read and process defenses allows him to hit teammates through the smallest of windows. He hit open shooters with one-handed skip passes, advanced the ball up the floor in transition for easy layups and was a willing one-more passer as the ball swing around the perimeter.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Marquise Humphries | San Gabriel Academy</h4>   <p>San Gabriel Academy fell to La Mirada in the Nike Division semifinals but it wasn't for a lack of Humphries ability to get his big men the ball. Those familiar with the Eagles know that their bread and butter is playing through their breadth of big men and the senior point guard got them touches in areas where they could be successful. The 5-foot-10 senior finished the game with six assists.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1724367' first='Saxon' last='Young'] | Lone Peak (UT) </h4>   <p>Young is the type of point guard who knows which teammate will be where at any given time within an offensive possession. The 5-foot-11 junior has his head on a swivel in transition and half-court offensive settings, allowing him to have full vision of the floor which results in high IQ decisions. Young delivers timely and accurate passes and in a variety of offensive settings but is especially good when touching the paint and making simple plays off of two feet. Young had eight assists as Lone Peak took down Desert Pines in a wild double overtime game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1724358' first='Troy' last='Kaufusi'] | Orem (UT)</h4>   <p>Kaufusi was very impressive in the first game of the day and his ability to control pace and tempo, create for himself and others off the dribble and make reliable, high IQ decisions each time down the floor helped Orem defeat Nevada-power Coronado. The 6-foot-2 sophomore operates with high level feel in ball screen action, drags out defenders and finds open rollers, cutters and shooters. The highly-ranked, Utah-based point guard has feel well beyond his years.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tyus Thomas | Liberty (NV)</h4>   <p>Thomas is a well-paced, crafty and high IQ point guard who blends a mix of a"true," pass-first approach with the ability to score in bunched when his team needs it and can flip that switch in a hurry, too. The 5-foot-10 senior always has his eyes up the floor looking to throw a hit ahead pass to put pressure on opposing defenses. He's also smart about, when driving to the rim, keeping his dribble alive to find cutters or shooters instead of forcing a difficult shot. Thomas is a guy who can take over a game as a playmaker or scorer.</p>

LAS VEGAS — We made the trip out to Las Vegas for the last two days of the Tarkanian Classic and took in Platinum and Nike Division action at The Orleans Arena and Bishop Gorman high school. Below are the best passers we watched.